Name: Imtiaz Abdul Kader

Title: Dr

Organisation: Absa Group

Imtiaz has 29 years’ experience in the ICT sector across the Telecoms and Banking domains. He has authored a book, "# Throw Away the Box", focusing on the ability of advanced technologies to be leveraged to grow societies and organisations. He was presented with the Africa Technology Excellence Awards in 2024 by PRIME EVENTS.

He held various positions, inclusive of: CIO, Head Portfolio Integrations and Delivery, and Head of Strategic Change and Data. He is currently the Head of Business Enablement/COO for Absa Life. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering and a PhD obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand based in South Africa, and a Professional Doctorate in Artificial Intelligence from the European International University. He is an active Industry Participant and a Member of the Executive Board, globally collaborating on all things Tech & Digital.

He also serves on a voluntary basis on the Advisory Board within the Engineering Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also a Certified Chief Digital Officer.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Imtiaz's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

Trust is an interesting term because I always believe it to be a mutually inclusive trait amongst the parties involved. Especially when it pertains to Leader-Employee relationships. Role modelling, mutual respect, and transparency are the relevant keys one needs to utilise in order to foster mutual trust.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

To be honest, the world has shifted away from terms like "VISION" and "MISSION" towards "PURPOSE". So my views are based on creating a meaningful purpose that will culminate in successful outcomes for all -- once the purpose is achieved. What would it look like? An example could be "Creation of Financial Security" -- which may seem vague, however is all encompassing for both customer and organisation alike.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

Empowerment starts with building the right team from the outset. It's not about bringing all "A" types together -- but rather bringing "all sorts" together, leveraging strengths and, most importantly, the ability to work together as a team to drive team success. As a leader, we do not recruit kids, we recruit adults with skills, so understanding that means things like micro management need to fall away. Respect and Trust need to be built both ways in order to foster a healthy relationship, forming the foundation of empowerment.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

A life mentor I had for many years is at the top of my list. He embodied humility, yet he achieved so much in his life. He motivated me into striving to be the best version of myself, and not just career-wise, but most importantly for family and self as well. A story that comes to mind: I was embarking on the journey to author a book, and whenever I spoke about it to him, the first question posed to me was, "So have you started?". To him, if you speak about something without starting it, it will never become a reality. The message is, "Don't talk about it, Start it".

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I get this question a lot from people I mentor or coach. While there are numerous ways, the one I generally propose is the "Pomodoro" principle. Pick 1 or 2 items, complete them before you go to the next item. Also, we are only human -- so create a view for yourself that constantly reminds you about what is important for today versus the 10 other things that you can delay. It's never an easy thing to achieve because life happens, so create a buffer for 20% discretionary effort for left-field items.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

While plans are important -- in today's world, it is about adaptability and pivoting effectively towards achieving the ultimate purpose of why there exists a plan in the first place. Planning for the sake of planning is toxic. Plans help guide you to achieve an outcome. I have learnt that there are many winding and alternate routes in a plan to get you to the same outcome -- so as a leader, plan, but also plan to be adaptable.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Delegation needs to be relevant and value-adding. One should not delegate your own work to your team to deliver on -- You need to understand Accountability vs Responsibility for yourself first.